Proverbs 21:2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the heart.
Luke 20:20 They watched closely and sent spies who pretended to be righteous, so that they could catch him in what he said, to hand him over to the governor’s rule and authority. What were these spies thinking? How hubristic to think you can trick God.
When actors are interviewed after they have played Jesus in a movie role, their common observations and remarks about the role are how difficult it was to pretend to be righteous. Why do they say this? Because what does being righteous actually look like? These actors have difficulty expressing what Jesus was truly like because their only reference to His righteous character is what historians and movie directors think Jesus was like. You cannot give away what you do not have. If you do not have God’s righteousness, how can you truly express it on screen or in life?
We either have God’s righteousness through Christ, or we don’t have it at all. Everything else is self-righteousness and a form of pretence as to what a person thinks righteousness looks like in their own mind. If a person does not know what God’s righteousness actually is, then it will be easy for that person to be fooled by a pretender who is displaying or acting out a form of what looks like acceptable human goodness. 2Cor.11:13 For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder! For Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. This is why cults flourish.
I like the fact that you cannot fool God with pretence. Some think they can, but the Word of God clearly describes these people as fools. Prov. 21:30 No human wisdom or understanding or plan can stand against the LORD. Imagine on judgment day as God points out some issues that have to be accounted for and answering God with, “Come on God, I think you got that wrong.” Or, ” Well God, I don’t believe you understand the situation.” Ha, what a pathetic attempt at trying to bamboozle our infinite All-Mighty God.
No Saints, Jesus knows exactly what and who we are. He intimately knows our motives and our soul’s nature. Christ recognizes the essence of our heart and what is in it. That is why we need Jesus as our Lord and Saviour. John 2:23 While He was in Jerusalem during the Passover Festival, many believed in His name when they saw the signs He was doing. 24 Jesus, however, would not entrust himself to them, since He knew them all 25 and because He did not need anyone to testify about man; for He himself knew what was in man.
Jesus knows that man is a great pretender of false qualities and bias when reporting on personal attributes. Prov. 21:2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the heart. Our ability to pretend to be someone or something that we are not, comes to us very easily. However, pretending to have God’s righteousness is an attempt at futility because that holy righteousness can only come from God Himself. No one else has that righteous gift to give.
The rest that comes to our soul when we quit pretending, and we allow God to give us His righteousness by accepting Christ as our Lord, is a restful peace beyond explanation. We can stop striving for acceptance through pretence because we have the Lord’s righteous peace reigning within us. We no longer have to pretend to be anything because we are now the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus. 2Cor. 5:21 God made the one who did not know sin to be sin for us, so that in him we would become the righteousness of God. What amazing grace. Amen and amen!
Very good post Sir Norm.
We will never realize the fullness of what God has provided for the believer until we come to Him, honestly believing and say,
"I can't, You can, Help."
I needed this reminder. I know I can be self-righteous at times. Especially when I’m angry about something. It’s when I’m self-minded and not others-minded and I forget God’s Grace. It’s humbling to hear this but I want to get to a place where I’m not regretting something I said or felt and my first reaction is a Christ reaction.